


I'm Here to Stay

by JaniceLikesStuff (janiceprouvaire), Sydlee3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dogs, M/M, Pre-Canon, its super minor tho with a tiny bit of backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:30:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5806252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janiceprouvaire/pseuds/JaniceLikesStuff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sydlee3/pseuds/Sydlee3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sawamura Daichi had a hard life. Having moved every single year since he was a kid, he only got to keep one friend: his dog, Kiro. His mother had promised him, though, that this would be the last time. He'd finally get to stay at one school and keep more than one friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Here to Stay

Sawamura Daichi hated moving. Every year, he got to change schools, learn to play volleyball with a different set of people, and make new friends. Every year, someone would tell him that he was a great volleyball player, a rock for the team to stand on, the foundation of the building that they could create.

And then he left. Every time, every year since his father died, he was forced to move before the end of the school year so that his mom could find a better job. Every single time, he made friends and then lost them again. No one bothers to keep in contact with you after you leave. You trade phone numbers, you promise to call, but no one follows through. No matter how close you were, once you’re gone, you’re gone forever. 

There was always one constant: Kiro. His best friend in the world, the one person who would stay with him through thick and thin. He remembered getting him in the third grade, a little puppy that was starting to learn about the world. The two grew up almost connected at the hip. Every day, he would take Kiro for a walk, ever since he could walk on the street by himself. When he was feeling down, Kiro would come lay with him and keep him company.

This house was no different. Every single friend was going to leave, just like normal, and it was just going to be him and Kiro again. But this time, his mom promised they would stay. At least until the end of high school, Daichi wouldn’t have to worry about leaving and losing all of his friends. 

The moment that the family got there, Daichi jumped out of the car and started walking down the sidewalk of his new neighborhood, Kiro’s leash in his hand and  eager to scout the area out.

“Daichi, come back here! You’re going to get lost, and you still need to help me to unpack!” 

Getting lost was the last thing on Daichi’s mind, and his sense of direction was pretty good anyways. Besides, he knew his mother had help from an old family friend, and that the movers had already taken care of a bunch of it. Who cared if he was there to help?

Daichi had barely been walking for two minutes when his thoughts were interrupted.

“You’re new here.”

Daichi turned to face the voice. On his left, a silver-haired boy with pale skin rode his bike next to him, coasting past him and Kiro with a smile on his face. He jumped off and waited for Daichi to arrive where he stood, patiently. 

“I’m Sugawara Koushi. Who are you?” The boy’s - Sugawara’s - hand was out in front of him.

Daichi took it and shook it firmly, just like his uncle had taught him. “I’m Sawamura Daichi. You can call me Daichi if you want, though. And this is Kiro.” He smiled and kneeled down to pet the dog, who at the sight of the stranger, sat down and looked almost shy, not befitting of a dog so large. 

“So sweet!” Sugawara smiled, kneeling as well, pulling his candy apple red helmet off of his head, leaving his silver hair mussed. “He’s so well trained and calm!”

“I’ve had him since I was a kid. He’s probably my best friend in the world,” he said, sheepishly smiling.

“What high school are you going to?” Sugawara asked, not taking his hands or eyes off of Kiro.

“Karasuno. I’m only going to be a first year.” Daichi could feel himself holding his breath in anticipation. He usually didn’t enter a school year with friends. 

“Awesome! I’m going there too!” Suga smiled refreshingly. “Hey, I have an idea. Can I introduce you to my parents?”

\---

“Daichi! How could you have just left like that? You didn’t even say hi to the Michimiyas!”

“You had them to help. And I can say hi to them whenever I want now, since they’re literally across the street.”

Daichi’s mother sighed, clearly still peeved even if he was right. “Daichi, I know you’re excited about taking Kiro out, but I still need your help. I’m not getting any younger here, and carrying all of those boxes isn’t easy work, even with help.”

“Okay, Mom.” Daichi took a brownie off the tray on the island. “Who made these?”

“The Azumanes. They live next door to us. They have a son your age - his names Asahi - and he’s going to the same high school as you. You should go say hi tomorrow.”

“Yui’s going there too, right? That’s four of us in this neighborhood.” Daichi tried to keep his excitement to a minimum, but it was hard when he had four friends going into the first day of school.

“Four?” His mother’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

Well, Daichi looked off to the side, not wanting to meet his mother’s eyes. “I met this kid - Sugawara - and he’s going to Karasuno too.”

Her face broke out in relief. “Well, aren’t you lucky! Asahi plays volleyball too, by the way. His mother said he plays one of those hitting positions.”

Daichi sighed. “Mom, you know that only rules out two positions, right? Three, depending on how you look at it.”

Using one of her Mom Pouts  TM , she shooed him away. “Go make yourself useful, Daichi.” She softened her tone. “Why don’t you get started on unpacking your room. Just be down for dinner at six, okay?”

Using one of his most polite smiles, he nodded, before running off to the box that held all of his things. He began lazily throwing things on his shelves, just trying to get the boring chores done when his mother started yelling up the stairs.

“You’d better make that room look nice! This is a brand new house, and I want to keep it neat.” Her no nonsense tone was punctuated with with her usual loving one.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he replied in a level tone. “Yeah, Mom, I know. It’ll look fine.”

He heard his mother sigh from all the way downstairs, mostly because she knew that he was going to ignore him. But, he did put more of an effort into straightening things. He didn’t have much in the way of material possessions; after so many moves there wasn’t much of a point in hauling junk. 

Thankful that the movers had taken care of setting up his main furniture, he made his bed quickly. The familiar blue stripes on the duvet brought him some comfort, and it made him want to lay down and take a nap. But there were chores to be done, and he continued to arrange his things.

Most of his stuff was basic; an alarm clock, his laptop, some of his favorite books. Only three things were actually important. 

The first was a picture of his dad, who looked a lot like an older version of him but with lighter eyes. They looked almost the same, down to the trademark smile, but his dad was dressed up in a full mechanic suit, Sawamura embroidered on the name patch. 

The second was Kiro’s first collar. He’d accepted his sentimentality, and knew that it no longer fit Kiro, who was now 45 kilograms. Daichi could still remember the day he’d got him like yesterday. After their fourth move, Daichi had been in third grade. It was already starting to hit him that anything he couldn’t bring with him wasn’t permanent, and his mother had seen how that had taken its toll on him. So, for his birthday that year, he’d gotten a dog. Kiro had been small, and so, so eager, and he and Daichi had bonded right away. 

The third item was a picture of himself, his mom, and Kiro, from about seven years ago. Daichi was less than four feet tall, and Kiro was still only 20 kilograms, but even then, he was starting to look like a real bernese mountain dog. He remembered wishing that he was smaller so that he could ride him like a horse. 

\---

“Hey, do you guys want to come over to my house to study? Tests are coming and I wanna get a head start.” Suga smiled cheerfully at his friends, with an enthusiasm that Daichi envied.

All four of them were wrapping up their first year, and finals were fast approaching.

Frowning, Yui replied, “I’ve got to go to a thing with my family.”

Daichi considered the offer. “I’m good to go, I just need to take care of Kiro first. My mom’s working a double shift today. Can I bring him over?”

Barely stifling a chuckle, Suga nodded affirmative. “Yeah! My parents told me that you don’t need to ask anymore, by the way.”

Daichi tried not to blush with embarrassment.

“I’m good too,” Asahi said. “I’ll walk with you, Suga.”

“Or we could all walk together,” Yui suggested. “I’ll stop off at my house, and you guys can go in with Daichi while he takes care of Kiro.”

Suga and Asahi paused. “Touché,” Suga said, causing the four teenagers burst into laughter.

\---

Only two hours later, Suga stretched out on his back, whining as he reached up to the ceiling. “I hate math.”

Sighing somewhat defeatedly, Asahi said, “It’s not that bad. “What are you having trouble with?”   


Tapping his pencil against his cheek, he considered his reply. “Nothing. It’s just so boring...” He turned on to his side so that he was facing Kiro. “Kiro’s lucky. He doesn’t have to worry about exams. I wish I was a dog. I think I’d be something cute, like a Shiba.”

Daichi tried not to snort at the image of his second best friend as a rat dog. “You’d be a yappy chihuahua,” He said, not looking up from his English notes.

Suga kicked him, and pouted in his general direction. “I would not!”

Asahi chuckled at the pair. “Hey, it’s getting kind of late, and I think I’m gonna go home. We’re eating dinner pretty early today.”

“It’s only 4:30...” Suga said, narrowing his eyes. 

Shrugging, Asahi replied, “It’s a long story,” and slipped his books into his bag. “Anyway, you guys should keep studying. From the sound of it, Suga needs it” He slipped out of Suga’s room, leaving the two with their books open on the floor, and a scoffing Suga in his wake.

“I don’t know about you, and I don’t care what Asahi says, but I’m all studied out.”

Daichi sighed, thinking it pathetic that he was admitting defeat so early. “I hate to admit it, but me too.”

As if a sudden epiphany had come to him, Suga shot up into a sitting position. “Do you want a snack? Mom made some of those cookies last night. The ones you like, with the jam filling”

Daichi sighed. “Yeah, sure. Kiro, come here, boy! Do you want a treat!? Sit...” The dog sat, obediently, wagging his tail in a way that made him look younger than his years. “Good boy!” Daichi said in an honestly rather goofy voice, feeding him the treat. “Yeah, you’re a good boy, aren’t you?”

The two boys walked down the stairs, Kiro trailing behind them. 

“Mom…” Suga whined when he saw his mother standing in the kitchen, pulling groceries out of bags. “Where are the cookies?”

She looked up with a deadpan expression. “You ate all of them, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Suga said, a Cheshire grin spread across his face.

_ All of them? _ Daichi mouthed to his light-haired friend, a mixture of amused and disgusted.

Suga didn’t reply, but his grin only widened.

“Look, if you want a snack, you have to help me unpack everything. And I really do mean everything.” The woman turned around to face her son. “Oh, Daichi, hello! You don’t have to help, but you’re going to have to wait for Koushi to finish up in here.”

“I can help. It’s really no big deal - I help my mom out with this kind of thing all the time.”

Suga’s mother smiled at him. “You’re a good kid, Daichi. A real good kid.”

\---

Volleyball tryouts had just finished up, and the four of them had just met up to walk home again, all of them sweaty and gross. 

“Were we that annoying when we were first years?” Asahi asked, disgust and fright permeating his voice, (which had totally gotten deeper, even if he denied it whenever people asked). 

Suga waved him off with a brush of his hand. “No way! That’s not even possible.” 

“Suga’s right,” Michimiya said, smiling coyly. “You guys were about ten times more annoying than that.”

“Oh shut up, Michimiya. You weren’t even there.”

She snickered, putting a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise. “I didn’t need to be. I could hear them from the girls gym.”

“Besides,” Suga added to Daichi’s statement, ignoring her entirely. “It was only Tanaka and Nishinoya that were  _ that  _ bad, and they weren’t even terrible players. Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita were fine.”

“Who cares? You still have to put up with the two of them for the next two years.

\---

When it happened, it happened too quickly.

It had been a normal morning. Kiro was running around in the front yard, finding the best spot for relieving himself, and Daichi was half-in, half-out the door, his attention on his mother, telling him a story from the night before while she was at school. Everything was finally going much better, but then it happened.

Daichi’s mother finished up the story, and Daichi looked out the doorway, and called out, only to notice a distinct lack of dog.

The teenager gasped and stepped back inside, hastily throwing his shoes on. 

“Daichi?” his mother asked, standing. “Did something happen?”

“I can’t see Kiro,” Daichi said, not elaborating before he rushed out the door. 

“Kiro?” he yelled, hoping to see his best friend to come rushing over from another house or something, but there was no response. He got all the way to the sidewalk before he saw Kiro, lying in the middle of the road, breathing almost excessively slowly, no car in sight, and blood on the ground. 

He froze. It was like time had slowed to a stop, and before he knew it he was running to Kiro’s side. 

“Mrs. Sawamura?” Faintly, as though there was cotton in his ears, Daichi heard Suga call back to his house, and he came running into the street and kneeling next to Daichi and Kiro. only praying that another car wouldn’t come out of nowhere. “Mrs. Sawamura, we need to call the vet!”

“Y-yeah, okay…” She ran back inside of the house, wobbling slightly, leaving Daichi with only his thoughts and Suga, the latter having no idea what to say or do. He ran his hands over Kiro, feeling for blood, and when he reached Kiro’s leg, his hand came away red. 

Daichi just sort of sat there, shell shocked. His friend did his best to keep a level head. Daichi’s mom pulled the car out to just in front of them, still on the phone with the vet.

“Yes, our dog has been hit... No I don’t know exactly... I... Suga, is there any blood?”

“From the right back leg. The leg is swelling. That’s the only thing that I can see, but Kiro’s in a lot of pain.”

She nodded. “Yes, he’s been hit and he’s bleeding, and we’ll be there in fifteen minutes... I can’t tell if there was any internal bleeding... Is it alright if I give the phone to my neighbor? He’ll be riding with us.”

She handed him the phone. “Suga, honey, here you go. I’m going to have Daichi sit in the trunk with Kiro, do you want to sit shotgun or with him?”

With a quick look in Daichi’s direction, Suga indicated that he’d sit in the back. 

Daichi managed to lift the Berner into the back, laying him so that he was in the least possible pain. Suga stepped in nimbly on the other side of Kiro, and kept a hand on the dog’s back all the way to the vet, 

\---

Suga’s mom had picked him up from the vet and driven him to school, even if the silver haired boy looked hesitant to leave him behind. That left only Daichi and his mother in the waiting room.

His mother’s face was tense, and Daichi knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it. “Daichi, honey, I don’t know if I can pay for the operations that Kiro needs.”

While he knew that it was awful of him to even ask, he did anyways. “Please, Mom. We can’t just let him die…”

The defeat in her face was evident, and he could see her literally deflating. “I know, Daichi, but I can’t afford it. We can’t afford it.”

Daichi was pleading now, and he would have gotten on his hands and knees if he thought that it would help. “I’ll quit volleyball and I’ll get a job and I can drop out of cram school so you don’t have to pay for that and... and...” Daichi was rambling, reaching for straws that every party involved knew weren’t there.

She sighed, steeling herself. “Daichi, you know I can’t let you do that. You need to get into a good college, and I know how much you love volleyball -”

Trying to stop his voice from cracking, he managed to force out four words: “I love Kiro more.”

She sighed, pressing a hand to the bridge of her nose. “And you heard what the doctor said. Even if we get him the treatments he needs, he’s gonna be in pain all of the time. He’s never going to get totally better. This is what’s best for him.”

Daichi sighed. “I know. I just…”

“Shhhh, I know. Look, it’s already nine, so how about after we finish up here, we go get donuts and then I’ll drive you home.”

Daichi sniffled. “Really?” 

“Yeah, I already called in to tell the school. I’ll go tell the doctor about our decision, and then you can go say goodbye. Does that sound okay?”

Daichi nodded, wiping the tears under his eyes away with his sleeve. “Yeah. Thanks, Mom.”

\---

Staying home was the second-worst decision of Daichi’s life, the worst being not keeping a closer eye on Kiro. Sure, the donut was great, and missing school was always a fun time, but it felt so… empty. With no Kiro to lay with, he felt so much more alone than he had in a long time. After prolonging a nap for as long as he could, all he could do was mindlessly surf the internet. It wasn’t until he found himself staring at the ‘new tab’ screen that he realized exactly how hopeless he felt. He threw the laptop to the side, and turned on to his side, only to see the worst possible thing for someone in his situation: Kiro’s first collar. 

That was all it took. Tears started streaming down his face, and he sniffled loudly. The realization finally hit him - he was never going to see Kiro again. His best friend, who had been with him through so many moves, was never going to whine because Daichi was focusing more on homework than him again. He’d never walk him down the sidewalk again. Daichi would never fall asleep to Kiro’s slow, constant breaths ever again.

There was a knock on the front door, pulling Daichi out of his stupor. He pulled his pillow over his head, hoping that he could block out the noise long enough for the visitors to go away, but that idea went nowhere. Sighing defeatedly, he stood up, his blanket around him like a cape. 

“Hello?” he said, answering the door, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Damn, Daichi. You look like you’ve seen hell, and then dug your way back out with a plastic sandbox shovel.”

\---

No one took the news well. Asahi and Michimiya both cried, and Suga did his best to comfort everyone.

“Is.. Is there anything we can do?” Michimiya asked between sobs. 

Daichi sighed. “I mean, if you could talk my mom into letting me stay home again. Or if you could bring him back. So… no.”

Asahi sighed, and wiped another tear from his eyes. “My dad really needed me home today. Coming over here was pushing it enough already. I’m really sorry…”

“It’s okay,” Daichi smiled, even if everyone could tell that it was both forced and fake. “I don’t want to keep you guys here any longer than you should.”

Michimiya still stayed for another half an hour, until she got a call on her cellphone from her dad, asking for her help with something.

But Suga had no intention of leaving. After lasting through the experience with Daichi, he knew in the bottom of his heart that there had to be something he could do.

After about ten minutes of a heavy awkward silence, Suga broke it. “Let me help.”

Daichi was taken aback. “What do you want to do?”

Suga seemed to consider it, resting his chin on his hands. “Come over to my house. I’ll make you brownies or something.”

Daichi frowned. “I don’t want brownies.”

“Well then what do you want?”

Trying desperately to keep the bitterness out of his voice, Daichi replied flippantly. “My dog.”

Suga seemed almost... irritated. “Well, that’s not gonna happen!”

Not sure what was happening, Daichi raised his voice to match. “Do you think I don’t know that?!”

Face neutral, Suga answered. “It sure does feel like you don’t.”

That was it. Daichi snapped. “Do you understand how I feel? He was all I had for eight years, Suga. Don’t you understand how much losing someone like that can hurt? I know he was just a dog to you, but to me, he was my best friend, and now he’s gone, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it, and… and…”

Daichi burst into sobs once more, sitting down because his legs couldn’t hold him anymore. . “I’m sorry… I just… I already lost Dad, and now it feels like that all over again, but about twenty times worse. Mom’s been having trouble with everything going on, and this sure hasn’t helped. Why does everything in my life have to go wrong?”

Suga sat next to Daichi on the couch, rubbing large, reassuring circles on his back. . “It’s okay to feel mad, Daichi. That’s gonna be a given. But you can’t turn away all of the help that you’re gonna get. Let me run home to get the stuff for the brownies, and then I’ll make them here. Does that sound good?”

Daichi nodded, wiping the tears away from his eyes. “Yeah… that sounds good.”

\---

That night, Mrs. Sawamura arrived home to the two boys, asleep on each other, a plate of brownies on the table, and the muted tv running in the background. After a quick call to the Sugawaras, she left them to sleep there, laying blankets on them and turning the tv off, ensuring the most peaceful sleep they could afford.

\---

The next morning, Daichi awoke to one Sugawara Koushi entangled in his arms, two blankets half-covering them, and quiet snores from the silver-haired boy whose face was buried in his chest. It took everything he had to not throw his friend off of the couch and into the coffee table. Instead, he just shook him slightly.

“Suga?” he whispered hesitantly, barely able to get the word out. He tried again, more confident this time. “Suga, wake up.”

Suga woke up, saw his proximity to Daichi’s chest, and promptly threw himself off of the couch, barely managing to avoid the coffee table.

Daichi chuckled. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

Suga sat up instantaneously and pointed at Daichi. “You just laughed. I knew I could make you feel better.”

Sitting up, Daichi lifted his hands in defeat. “You’ve got me there.”

\---

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Kageyama apologized. “I know this is really important to all of you, but my parents went out of town, so I needed to bring Yori, and he was being really argumentative today…”

“It’s okay,” Suga said, smiling at Daichi. “We understand.”

Daichi’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the Shiba at the end of the leash. He sank to his knees and called for it. “Come here, baby! Yeah, who’s a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!”

“Bring him anytime,” Suga spoke for the captain. “He’ll always be welcome.”

“You said his name was Yori?” Daichi didn’t look up from the dog, who was having the time of his life. “That’s a perfect name for a perfect dog! Yeah, yes it is!”

“Wow, the captain sure does like dogs…” Kageyama trailed off, not sure what to do with the statement.

Suga looked over at Daichi, whose eyes told them that he was in another place and time. 

As if on autopilot, Daichi mumbled, “I guess I always have, haven’t I.”

\---

“Hey, Daichi? I got you a housewarming present.” Suga’s voice radiated a pleasant surprise. 

Still working, Daichi didn’t look up. “Koushi, it’s not very traditional to get your husband a housewarming present.”

He chuckled softly. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist. It won’t be the same, but look.”

Daichi looked up from his laptop, and Suga swore that he could see his partner’s ghost leave his body.

His jaw would have hit the floor if his face allowed it. “Koushi, why… how… but…”

“A Berner, just like Kiro was! You won’t be able to name her after him, since she’s a girl, but still!” Suga held out the puppy triumphantly. 

“Come here, baby…” Daichi lowered himself on to the floor, barely able to speak. “You - you’re a good girl, aren’t you?”

“I went ahead and got her this collar. It was too cute, and I couldn’t resist. It has a bell on it, so I was thinking Suzu. Is that okay?” Suga looked at Daichi expectantly. “Daichi?”

Daichi shook his head and looked up at Suga. “Yeah… yeah, that’s a perfect name for her. Right, Suzu? Right?”

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you wondering, Kiro is a Bernese Mountain Dog. This was actually slightly inspired by my (Janice's) experiences with my dogs - although I've never technically lost a dog who I cared about that much, I've lost multiple animals to old age, and it's really hard, especially when you really care about that dog (I had to stop to pet my own puppy multiple times while writing this), but I digress. I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a comment to let us know what you think!
> 
> Also fun fact: using page down while having the rating selected will make your fic rated explicit i just found this out so yeah this fic isn't explicit in any way and it shouldn't be rated as such? So yeah? oops  
> 


End file.
